


human

by soudont



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Crushes, Drinking & Talking, Friendship, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, this is an excuse to build that sniper and pyro friendship ive been craving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 16:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21304991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soudont/pseuds/soudont
Summary: The atmosphere was almost romantic, or some shit like that, except it was only him and the mystery that was Pyro still outside.
Relationships: Engineer/Sniper (Team Fortress 2), Pyro & Sniper (Team Fortress 2), Pyro/Scout (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 69





	human

The fire flickered gently in front of them. Most of the mercenaries had already retired for the night, some not even showing up at all (Spy). Mundy lazed casually in his seat, breathing in the smoke blowing in his face. His gaze shifted to the company, watching as they grasped a stick and poked at the fire. He had half the mind to wonder if they were bothered by the heat in that suit, or if they were fine because of the chills of the night. 

The atmosphere was almost romantic, or some shit like that, except it was only him and the mystery that was Pyro still outside. _Romantic_, what a bloody _joke_. The only thing that could make it more romantic was music, a guitar- that's it- strumming gently. Unfortunately, Engineer had left earlier after a few swigs of beer and what Mundy could only assume was accidental finger brushes. Bloody hell- That damn Truckie's fingers were warm. He could feel the burning on his skin even then, almost an hour later. That heat rushed from his fingers to his cheeks, flushing himself a nice red color. He couldn't help but wonder if the rest of the Engineer's body was just as warm, suddenly bursting with the want to knead his fingers into his thighs and hips, holding him in place as he brushed his lips against his-

"Ah- Piss." He hissed to himself, lifting the bottle of beer to his lips again and taking a long swig of the drink. He ended up chugging the rest of the bottle and he swore to himself again, tossing it to the side and sighing harshly. _Stop thinking about him, you bloody wanker. _He cradled his face into his hands, rubbing gently and sighing through his lips, causing a lip-trill. Apparently his reaction to his own thoughts caught the attention of his co-worker, who was now staring at him through dark circles. The Pyro tilted their head, curious and (what Mundy assumed was) concern.

"Mmph hmmph?" Mundy wasn't the Engineer, who just was smart enough to figure it out, or the Scout, who spent enough time with the Pyro to actually understand after a while, and thus had no clue what they were trying to say, but assumed it to be something along the lines of "What's the matter?". He ended up shrugging, slouching into his seat. The Pyro made a noise that sounded like scoffing and crossed their arms. 

"Gah- It's nothin', mate. No need to worry." He wasn't sure if he was convincing himself or Pyro, but neither of them seemed to believe it. They kept staring at him expectantly and he sneered in their direction, trying to make it clear he wasn't too keen on sharing that he was a damn _queer_. The arsonist made a weird clicking noise which Mundy assumed was them clicking their tongue at him and he snarled in response.

"Mmmph hmph." They pointed an accusing finger at him. Mundy spat at the ground. 

They dropped their hand, reaching for the poking stick again and stuck the end into the flames again, pushing at the embers. He watched them attentively, suddenly alert at everything the Pyro did. He wondered if they were giving up or waiting for him to crack- Maybe it was an "If it works, great! If it doesn't, oh well," moment. He tapped his fingertips on the edge of his armrests, letting the anxiety slowly eat at him alive. _Bloody hell._

"Oi, mate- Tell me something," Pyro turned their head towards him again, tilting their head in that curious way once more. He clenched his fist, digging his fingernails into his palm.

"Ya ever think- _bloody hell-_ ya might be queer?" He forced himself to spit it out, glaring at the ground immediately after. The arsonist was quiet. Those black circles stared straight into Mundy, and he cringed. _Bugger- They fucking were disgusted, weren't they? Fuck, Bugger, Piss-! _Pyro lifted one finger, signifying to give them a second. Their fingers hooked under their mask, and the Sniper's heart stopped for a good moment. They lifted up their mask over their nose, clearing their throat softly.

"I know it's weird, but lack of communication would be bad,_ ja_?" Their voice was deep and their accent was European; Mundy couldn't quite pinpoint the exact country of origin. He was too shocked to even respond with words, only nodding dumbly. The Pyro bit their lip, and that's when it hit him: This conversation was important enough to do something that scared them, like taking off their _fucking mask _(even if it was just halfway off).

"You're a queer, then?" Pyro poked at the fire again, avoiding looking directly at Mundy. The Sniper knew that was part of the anxiety, and he respected that, avoiding looking at the other as well.

"I dunno- I think I'm pretty open-minded. Can't stop thinkin' bout that bloody Engineer, though." He mumbled the last part, but Pyro seemed to hear it anyway. They snickered lightly at him and he glared at the ground.

"Hm, bisexual, maybe? And," Pyro pushed a log over in the fire, "Engie? I'm not surprised." They snickered again and this time the Sniper whipped his head around to glare straight at them.

"What do ya mean, ya bloody wanker?" He stood up and walked around the fire to the cooler, crouching and opening it, pulling out another bottle of beer. Pyro snickered louder.

"Whenever he is around, you blush something fierce! You look like cooking meat on da braii." They laughed out loud when he sank down into his chair again, popping the bottle open with his thumb-nail. The cap went flying and hit the ground somewhere to the right of them. Mundy took a swig.

"Shuddup," He mumbled angrily against the rim of the beer bottle, "What about ya, mate? You a queer?"

"_Ja_," They said it so casually, Mundy was almost jealous, "I don't think Scout would ever notice how I feel, though. Even if he did, he would disapprove, I think." That was unexpected, at least to Mundy. _Scout? Bloody hell, poor chance, huh?_

"Brilliant, Bloody brilliant," He mumbled, throwing his free hand up into the air in a fit of frustration, "Guess we're screwed, aye, mate? Can't tell 'em- They'll think we're fuckin' _pansies_." He grit his teeth, squeezing the bottle of beer in his hand tightly. 

"Suppose not," Pyro muttered sadly, practically stabbing the log with his poking stick, "That what you think of queers? Pansies?" Mundy paused in thought, furrowing his eyebrows at the glowing embers.

"I- I dunno. Maybe? Bloody hell," He shook his head, taking another swig of beer, "Ya?" His head was starting to buzz. Pyro seemed to notice. They pulled their mask over their face again and stood, throwing the stick to the side. They walked to the entryway of the fort, turning back to Mundy one last time. The Sniper was just barely able to understand their words.

"I think it's human."

And with that, they left Mundy alone with his thoughts that night.


End file.
